An unexpected snowfall closed schools in Huntsville, Alabama on the afternoon of Feb. 18. Despite the cold, NASA scientist Caleb Fassett MS’05 PhD’08 was grateful to have his two first-grade daughters home to witness a key moment in space exploration.

Several years ago, Jezero Crater was proposed as the landing site for NASA’s 2011 Mars rover Curiosity but was rejected because there were too many rocks that the rover might hit in the possible landing areas, according to Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Jack Mustard.

Identifying life on Mars may be within reach thanks to University researchers’ new findings of hydrated silica on the red planet.

Following the announcement of the program nearly six years ago, the Mars 2020 rover mission has selected the Jezero Crater as its landing site.

A study conducted by researchers at the University identified an enzyme, SNRK, that could play a role in combating obesity in humans, according to a University press release.

On April 22, 2013, Mars One, a Dutch-based nonprofit venture, announced its search for volunteer astronauts to travel one-way to Mars.